Brainstorm - Downburst
Brainstorm - Downburst
\r\nAfter the celebrations of the 10 years of the\r\nband with the re-release of the first two albums and the release of their first\r\nDVD titled "Honey From The B’s", the new album of the German band Brainstorm is\r\nnow a fact and it is titled "Downburst" (the release of the album will be at\r\nthe 28th of January 2008) by Metal Blade Records. Their previous\r\nalbum "Liquid Monster" had left me with mixed feelings since there were tracks\r\nwhich I liked a lot but there were also tracks that I found a little bit disappointing.\r\nIn "Downburst" things are obviously better since Brainstorm offer us an\r\nexcellent album of pure Heavy / Power Metal that every fan of the genre should\r\nhave. Before the release came the single "Fire Walk With Me" which was\r\ncertainly a good start and a good first idea for what would follow, but\r\npersonally I’ve imagined things differently. \r\n
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\r\nFirstly we should mention that responsible for the\r\nproduction of the album is Sascha Paeth (Angra, Rhapsody (Of Fire), Kamelot)\r\nfact that gives a more positive side in this work. In "Downburst" there aren’t any\r\nnew elements concerning the music of Brainstorm. The only difference is that\r\neverything about this album is done with more loyalty and attention than any\r\nother time and the result shows a maturity that didn’t exist at the desirable\r\nlevel till now. It looks like Brainstorm within their 10 years of existence\r\nmanaged to have their own unique identity since when we hear a Brainstorm song\r\nwe cannot think of another band. Their music, for those who may not know, is\r\nbased upon Heavy parts which consist of many rhythmical riffs and mid tempo\r\ntunes. The times that the speed rises are not few, thing that adds an attitude\r\nmore influenced by the European Power Metal scene. Melodies have the main role\r\nand at some points the result is more epic, something that I personally liked a\r\nlot. For one more time there are some parts consisted by electro-acoustic\r\nguitars which remind Iron Maiden but yet they have completely blended and they’re\r\nnot boring or tiring. Keyboards in this album don’t play much of a role, yet\r\nthey exist, giving their own tone and making the tracks sound even more atmospheric\r\nand melancholic (like in End of Sorrow). Within all this, the beautiful vocals of\r\nAndy Frank come to be added, vocals which are a must for every Heavy / Power\r\nMetal album.\r\n
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\r\n"Downburst" is the best album of Brainstorm\r\ntill today, album that hides a maturity when at the same time uses in a unique\r\nway all the elements that every album of this genre should have. I guess that\r\nit is time for all those who haven’t heard Brainstorm to do so.\r\n
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\r\nVassilis Mazaris \r\n
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